This week I will review every team in the Western Conference and grade how they did either buying or selling leading up to and on trade deadline day.

For a cutoff, I'm going to use January 1, 2024 forward.

Anaheim Ducks – Seller

In:

Cutter Gauthier – F

Jan Mysak – F

Ben Meyers – F

2024 – 1st round pick – Edmonton

2025 – 3rd round pick – Toronto

2025 – 5th round pick – Edmonton (4th round if Edm. wins Stanley Cup)

Out:

Jamie Drysdale – D

Ilya Lyubushkin – D (50% retained salary – $1.375 million)

Sam Carrick – F (50% retained – $425k)

Adam Henrique – F (50% retained – $2.9125 million)

Jacob Perreault – F

2025 – 2nd round pick

2024- 5th round pick

2024 – 7th round pick

The team was unable or chose not to trade impending unrestricted free agent Jakob Silfverberg. He did have a limited no-trade clause and a cap hit of $5.25 million.

The Ducks were forced to retain at least 50% of the salary on all three of their other impending UFAs which should have increased the return. In return for Lyubushkin, Henrique and Carrick, they got back a 1st rounder in 2024 from Edmonton, a 3rd round pick in 2025 from Toronto and a likely 5th-round pick in 2025 from Edmonton. The 1st round pick is likely to be outside the top 25 picks. Prices for rentals were down this year and this return is indicative of that.

Perhaps the best deal the Ducks made in 2024 was getting Gauthier from the Flyers. He is 20 years old and was the 5th overall pick in 2022. In 33 games so far at Boston College, he has 31 goals and 20 assists. I'd be surprised if the Ducks don't sign him after his season ends this year. Anaheim gave up Drysdale and a 2nd-round pick in 2025, but if Gauthier pans out, it will be a steal.

The Ducks exchanged their 1st round pick in 2020, Jacob Perreault for Montreal's 2nd round pick from the same draft, Jan Mysak. Both are 21 years of age and struggling a little in the AHL. Perreault had 54 points in his first 82 AHL games but had just 37 points in his next 79 games. Mysak had 18 goals and 11 assists in 88 AHL games. Perreault has a bit of a higher offensive ceiling, whereas Mysak might be more of a 3rd or 4th liner in the NHL one day. It's a fresh start for both.

Lyubushkin to Toronto for a 3rd round pick seems like a fair return, if not a round higher than expected for a sixth or seventh defender.

Acquiring Ben Meyers for a 5th-round pick seems like a bit of a waste for an impending UFA who will fill a 4th-line role for the remainder of 2023-2024.

The Ducks now have two 1st rounders, two 2nd rounders and three 3rd round picks in 2024.

Overall Grade: C+

Arizona Coyotes – Seller

In:

2027 – 4th round pick – Edmonton

2027 – 5th round pick – Tampa Bay

2024 – 6th round pick – Dallas

Out:

2024 – 7th round pick – Boston

2025 -7th round pick

Matt Dumba – D

Jason Zucker – F

Troy Stecher – D

The inability of the Coyotes to retain salary on any of their three trades cost them at least a round or two on trading Dumba and perhaps two or three rounds on Zucker.

Talk about restricting the abilities of your GM to conduct business. Cap space should have been a weapon that Bill Armstrong should have at his disposal but he doesn't.

Overall Grade: E

Calgary Flames – Sellers

In:

Andrei Kuzmenko – F

Daniil Miromanov – D

Nikita Okhotiuk – D

Joni Jurmo – D

Hunter Brzustewicz – D

Artem Grushnikov – D

2024 – 1st round pick – Vancouver

2026 – 1st round pick – Vegas

2024 – 2nd round pick – Dallas

2024 – 3rd round pick – Vegas (becomes a 2nd round pick if Vegas wins one round this playoffs)

2026 – 3rd round pick – Dallas (only transferred if Dallas makes it to the Finals)

2024 – 4th round pick – New Jersey (could become a 3rd round pick if Vancouver reaches Conference Finals)

Out:

Elias Lindholm – F

Chris Tanev –  D (50% retained $2.25 million)

Noah Hanifin – D (50% retained $2.475 million)

2024 – 5th round pick – Chicago

At the end of the day, the Flames parted with three of their better players who were all impending UFAs. The team received Kuzmenko who makes $5.5 million in 2024-2025 but should score 20-25 goals.

Okhotiuk has played 58 NHL games and noticeably has 173 hits and 82 blocks while averaging 15:32 per game while putting up 11 points. He is set to become an RFA and could compete for a role on the Flames next year.

Miromanov is a 26-year-old defender who has played just 31 NHL games with seven points but has some offensive ceiling. In 95 AHL games, he has put up 21 goals and 47 assists. The Flames re-signed him for two years at $1.25M AAV.

Grushnikov is a 20-year-old defender in his first pro season in the AHL. In 48 games he has just five points. The 2nd round pick from 2021 is a defensive defenseman who plays a physical game.

Brzustewicz was a 3rd round pick in 2023 but has broken out with 84 points in 59 games with Kitchener in the OHL. The 19-year-old has some issues defensively, but the hope is that his offensive contributions outweigh them.

Jurmo was a 3rd round pick in 2020 and the 21-year-old is in his fourth season in the Finnish Liiga. He has now played 167 games at that level with eight goals and 20 assists. Jurmo is more defensive-oriented but is a very good skater for a big player.

The Flames now have five 1st round picks, four 2nd round picks and five 3rd round picks in the next three drafts.

You would like to see Conroy get some blue-chip prospects in return, but he has hit on some players who might have lower ceilings but higher floors.

Overall Grade: B

Chicago Blackhawks – Status Quo

In:

Rem Pitlick

2024 – 5th round pick – Nashville

Out:

Anthony Beauvillier – F

2026 – 7th round pick

Chicago was unable to move Tyler Johnson or Colin Blackwell who are both impending UFAs.

They were fortunate to get a pick in return for Beauvillier at this point, but perhaps retaining some salary might have driven that up to a 4th round pick.

Davidson did well to take the salary dump of Nikita Zaitsev and get a 2nd round pick in 2023 and a 4th-round pick in 2026 from Ottawa last season. It would have been even better if he could have flipped Zaitsev for another pick, but it wasn't to be.

As of today, the Blackhawks have five 1st round picks, eight 2nd round picks and four 3rd round picks over the next three entry drafts.

Overall Grade: D

Colorado Avalanche – Buyer

In:

Sean Walker – D

Casey Mittelstadt – F

Yakov Trenin – F

Brandon Duhaime – F

Graham Sward – D

Zakhar Bardakhov – F

2024 – 5th round pick – Anaheim

2026 – 5th round pick – Philadelphia

2024 – 7th round pick – Nashville

Out:

Ryan Johansen – F

Bowen Byram – D

Ben Meyers – F

Kurtis MacDermid – D

Jeremy Hanzel – D

2025 – 1st round pick

2025 – 3rd round pick

2026 – 3rd round pick

You have to give credit when a team realises that they might have made a mistake on a player fitting in with their style of play. The Avalanche brought in Ryan Johansen last summer at $4 million AAV which was at half-price with the hope that he could provide some offense and solidify the 2nd or 3rd line center ice role. He had just 23 points in 63 games with Colorado. MacFarland did well to get Sean Walker in return and include Johansen while squeezing in a 5th-round pick with Walker.

I've thought for the past two seasons that Sam Girard might be the odd man out on defense, but it turned out to be Byram. In hindsight, it makes sense if they think that Byram will be behind Cale Makar for quite a few years. The return on Byram was always going to be much more than Girard. Mittelstadt fills a huge hole at center ice as he slots in at 2C. He is set to become an RFA and will be looking for a pretty big payday going forward.

Trenin has 172 hits in 61 games with 10 goals while Duhaime has 154 hits in 63 games with just four goals and eight points. These two were brought in to play physical hockey in the playoffs.

It might be my favorite move by MacFarland at the deadline in getting a 5th-round pick for Meyers. The odds are that it won't amount to much, but to me, that is a free lotto ticket. Meyers was not in their plans and was an impending UFA.

An under-the-radar trade was the Avalanche getting Graham Sward for Jeremy Hanzel. Both players are 20-year-old offensive defensemen playing in the WHL. Sward has 73 points in 58 games while Hanzel has 50 points in 58 games for Seattle. Both could get a chance to play in the AHL next season. Hanzel is signed, while Sward is not.

At the end of the day, MacFarland improved his team and added depth, even with the news that Logan O'Connor is out for the year.

Overall Grade: B+

Dallas Stars – Slight Buyer

In:

Chris Tanev – D ($1.125M cap hit)

Cole Brady – G

Out:

Artem Grushnikov – D

2024 – 2nd round pick

2026 – 3rd round pick (only moved if Dallas makes it to the Finals)

2026 – 4th round pick

Some thought that Tanev would demand a 1st round pick and a prospect in return, so it appears to be a good deal for Dallas that they were able to not only get Tanev but retain 75% of his salary elsewhere for a 2nd, possibly 3rd, a 4th and Grushnikov who is hardly a top-ten prospect on most teams.

Overall Grade: B

Edmonton Oilers – Buyer

In:

Sam Carrick – F (50% retained; $425k cap hit)

Adam Henrique – F (50% retained; $2.9125M cap hit)

Troy Stecher – D

2024 – 7th round pick – Boston

2024 – 7th round pick – Anaheim

Out:

2024 – 1st round pick

2025 – 4th round pick (could be 2026 pick instead)

2027 – 4th round pick

2025 – 5th round pick (becomes a 4th round pick if Edm. wins the Cup)

Henrique is the big add for the Oilers as he should be able to slide up and down the second or third lines and play center or on the wing. He is 52.9 percent in the face-off circle this year. After playing 23 games with New Jersey in the playoffs of 2011-12, Henrique has only played four playoff games in his career since then.

Carrick has 139 hits in 63 games while chipping in with eight goals. He is capable in the faceoff circle as well (51.0%) and can kill penalties. He can slide up and down between the third and fourth lines but is probably better suited on the fourth in Edmonton.

Stecher won't lack effort or courage. He has 52 hits and 64 blocks in 47 games and can kill penalties. On the Oilers, he should provide depth and be a sixth or seventh defender.

Overall Grade: C+

Los Angeles Kings – Stood Pat

In:

No one

Out:

Nothing

In a way, Rob Blake's lack of moves makes some sense if you consider adding Viktor Arvidsson, Carl Grundstrom and Mikey Anderson back into the lineup in a few weeks’ deadline additions.

They look like they should make the playoffs, but with just four picks in the 2025 draft, they might be reluctant to move more picks.

Overall Grade: C

Part 2 will cover the remaining Western Conference teams.